Stuntman Cyclist Illustrates Absurdity of NYPD Enforcement

Cyclists and their cameras, man… This winter one filmed the NYPD’s completely counter-productive policy of ticketing cyclists in Central Park, and now another has put his body on the line to demonstrate the risks of the new (and often inapplicable) “always ride in the bike lane” policy.

What the law actually says is: if a usable bike lane is provided, on most roadways, you’re supposed to be in it unless there are hazardous or dangerous conditions, or there’s a double-parked car, or whatever. But it seems like cops are writing tickets when they see a cyclist outside of a bike lane without taking any of that into account, sometimes even stopping in the bike lane and then writing tickets for people who go around them.

The practical application of which occurs in the closing seconds of Casey Neistat’s “Bike Lanes” video, in which, after receiving a ticket for riding outside a blocked bike lane, he rides in bike lanes no matter the obstructions that await. Things he crashes into include moving trucks, cabs, cars, construction materials and, yes, an NYPD cruiser.